THEATER/THE TONY AWARDS; A Guide To Tony's Universe

BROADWAY'S Tony Awards are a lot like Halley's Comet. They suddenly swing into view at a predictable time, inspire a lot of speculation and usually some arguments, whoosh by in a theatrical display, and disappear, leaving a trail of stardust.

This year the 54th annual Tony Awards will be held at Radio City Music Hall on June 4. The ceremonies will be televised from 8 to 9 p.m. on PBS stations and from 9 to 11 p.m. on CBS.

Like Halley's Comet, the Tony Awards are showy, but most people don't know much about them. Here are some questions and answers behind the glitter. ANDREA STEVENS

QUESTION. Who is Tony anyway?

ANSWER. The most prominent American theater awards were named in honor of Antoinette Perry (1888-1946), an actress, producer, director, and secretary and board chairwoman of the American Theater Wing throughout World War II.

A. It was begun in 1917 by Rachel Crothers, a playwright, and six women friends, all involved in the theater in New York. Originally called Stage Women's War Relief, it was a philanthropic organization for servicemen. During the 1920's and 30's it continued its work with families, and in 1939 Ms. Crothers was asked to reactivate her committee. The name of the group was changed to the American Theater Wing War Service; it was a branch of the British War Relief Society. In 1941, after Pearl Harbor, the group became independent. In addition to the well-known Stage Door Canteen, the wing's World War II efforts involved more than 50 different programs for entertainment, recreation and education.

Isabelle Stevenson, a former dancer and president of the wing from 1966 to 1998, wanted to keep the idea of theatrical education alive, and developed the wing's ''Working in the Theater'' seminars, which continue today, along with other programs involving the theater. Ms. Stevenson is now the chairman of the wing and Roy A. Somlyo, who was the managing producer of the Tony Awards, is the president.

Q. Who runs the Tony Awards?

A.There are two major aspects to the awards: the judging and the television ceremonies. The Tony Award Administration Committee is responsible for the judging; the Tony management committee handles the show. Both committees are made up of members of the American Theater Wing and the League of American Theaters and Producers. In addition, members of four crafts unions and guilds serve on the Tony administration committee.

Q. What is the league?

A. It is the national trade organization for the commercial theater industry in the United States. Its membership includes producers of Broadway and touring shows, theater owners and operators, and presenters of Broadway attractions in New York and more than 140 cities in the United States and Canada.

Its stated mission is ''to promote the common interest of its members, provide services for the industry and broaden the audience for professional theater.''

A marketing arm and lobbying group, it also negotiates with 17 theatrical trade unions and guilds to establish the contracts for workers in the Broadway theater industry. Cy Feuer is its chairman and Jed Bernstein its president.

A.The name Tony Awards cannot be used without the wing's permission, and that fact makes the wing an equal player with the league. Some people say that without ownership of the trademark, the wing would be a less significant participant. The wing, which is not a commercial entity, is less interested in the marketing of Broadway, which the league believes is the most important function of the televised awards ceremonies.

Q. What does the award look like?

A.It is a medallion, with the masks of comedy and tragedy on one side and space for a personalized engraving on the other.

Q. What individual and what show have won the most Tonys?

A.Harold Prince is at the head of the list with 20 (8 for directing, 8 for producing, 2 as producer of the year's best musical and 2 special Tony Awards). The top winning show is the 1964 Jerry Herman musical ''Hello, Dolly!,'' which won 10 Tony Awards, including best musical.

Q. Are the Tony Awards for all shows and performers?

A.No. Only productions that open in Tony-designated theaters on Broadway. And even these shows must be ruled eligible before they can become award candidates. For example, the current one-man show ''Jackie Mason: Much Ado About Everything'' is in the Tony-eligible Golden Theater, but the show has been ruled ineligible for a Tony.

Q. Who decides the eligibility of shows in Tony-designated theaters?

A.The 24-member Tony administration committee, made up of producers, directors and others involved in Broadway theater.

Q. Who is on the Tony administration committee and how long do members serve?

A. The committee consists of 10 representatives from the league, 10 from the wing and one each from Actors' Equity, United Scenic Artists, the Dramatists Guild and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. There is no term limit.

Q. What are the names of the people on the Tony administration committee this year?

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A.It is a theater of 500 seats or more in Manhattan that is used principally for the presentation of legitimate theatrical productions.

Q. What is the Tony season?

A.Once the season ends in which a production that opens on Broadway can be eligible for a Tony -- usually at the end of April or the beginning of May -- the next season begins. So the Tony season really begins in May and ends the following May. The 1999-2000 Tony season, for example, began on May 28, 1999, and ended on May 3, 2000. The 2000-1 Tony season began on May 4.

Q. Does the Tony administration committee only establish the productions that are eligible for awards and the theaters they play in?

A. No. It selects the season's best regional theater on the recommendation of the American Theater Critics Association and awards any special Tonys and honors.

It also defines the candidates in the 21 awards categories. For example, this season the producers of Sam Shepard's play ''True West,'' at Circle in the Square, petitioned the Tony administration committee to consider the production's stars, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly, as one nomination (for best actor in a play). The committee declined and the actors are now competing against each other in the category. Performers who have shared a single nomination include John Kani and Winston Ntshona, who won for best actor in a play for ''Sizwe Banzi Is Dead'' and ''The Island'' in 1975. In 1998, Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley, who played Siamese twins in the musical ''Side Show,'' shared a single nomination (for best actress in a musical).

Q. How is a nomination for a Tony arrived at?

A.Once the Tony administration committee has established which Broadway productions during the current season are eligible for consideration, it makes up a list of the shows and possible candidates in the 21 awards categories. (The Tony rules state the total number of candidates allowed in each category.)

The list then goes to the Tony nominating committee, a 24-member group that can include performers, composers, educators and others involved in the theater. Tony nominators cannot be involved in a Broadway production in a year in which they vote. Their job is to attend every show on the list of eligible Broadway productions. They also must whittle down the number of eligible candidates in each category to the total allowed by the Tony rules. The final role they play is to meet on a Sunday in early May and to vote on all the candidates in the 21 categories.

Q. So a performer who has won a lot of Tonys over the years has been scrutinized by many Tony nominators. What dramatic actress, for example, has won the most Tony Awards?

A.Certain members from the league, the wing, Actors' Equity, the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, United Scenic Artists, the Casting Society of America, the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers and members of the press.

A.In most cases the voters are appointed by their own boards. There are no term limits.

Q. Do they pay for their tickets?

A.No. The 705 Tony voters get two free tickets to each nominated show. If you add in the 24 members of the Tony administration committee and the 24 Tony nominators, who each get two tickets to every show, the total is about 1,500 free tickets.

Since ticket prices for most Broadway shows range from $60 to $90, this means that a producer of a Tony-nominated show must set aside more than $100,000 worth of tickets to give away in connection with the Tony Awards. As any producer will tell you, the theater business is not for the faint of heart.